Girdle



S. T. METZ Feb. 25, 1958 GIRDLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 12, 1956 INVENTOR.

Feb. 25, 1958 s, T, M TZ 2,824,564

GIRDLE Filed April 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE 2,.

IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent GIRDLE Samuel 'T Met'z, New York, N. Y., assignor to Treo Co., Inc}, Jamaica, N'. Y., a" corporation of New York Application April 12, 1956, Serial No. 577,831 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-533) A particular object of the invention is to provide improved means for preventing edge portions of the garment from rolling down and for insuring such effect and snug fit of the garment after repeated washings or dry cleaning. The invention makes it unnecessary to provide bones or stays, and enables the garment to comfortably yield in accordance with the form and movements of the wearer.

The invention is characterized by an incorporation in the girdle as a unit thereof, of a flexible sinuous control cord of a special form and consisting of a plurality of metal strands mutually twisted into a single body, and externally gripped and protected by a hard, but flexible plastic covering which follows the flexing of the strands, using a pressure and protection which has been shown to be effective in resisting any permanent deformation or crystallization of the material.

The hard flexible cover is a smooth face on the exterior of the control cord and extends into the minute channels between the surface areas of the twisted metallic strands.

The invention is a result of years of tests in many girdles and allied items employing both metallic and plastic wires and which have shown fatigue or permanent deformation through repeated flexing. On the contrary, girdles or similar articles of the present invention have been repeatedly washed, and tested by flexing beyond normal degree many thousands of times, without deformation of the control cord or loss of its live action.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a panty-girdle embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the girdle of Fig. l expanded outwardly at its waist portion in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a segment of the waist portion of the girdle of Fig. 1, showing parts of the sinus curve of the control cord in an unexpanded condition;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing the girdle segment expanded outwardly in the direction of the arrows, as when the girdle is worn;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view enlarged about five times showing the control steel and plastic cord secured to a portion of the girdle body portion;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view from the inside of a girdle section showing a section of the cord secured to the girdle by means of a tape, utilizing a zigzag sewing stitch thereover;

Fig. 7 is a front view of a gridle showing a somewhat modified arrangement of the cord and the front of said girdle;

Fig. 8 is a cylindrical abdominal girdle showing the control cords secured to the girdle in a sinusoidal manner, with the legs of the sinus waves vertically disposed;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a section of the steel and plastic control cord.

Referring to the drawings, a panty-girdle (Figs. 1 and 2) is made from two leg sections A and B, sewn together along the seam line 1. The girdle, preferably yieldable in all directions, may be of woven or knit construction.

The waist portion of the girdle has securedthereto" a control cord indicated at 2 said cord being disposed continuously and circumferentially about the girdle as a plurality of sinusoidal waves. In the girdle of Fig. l, the undulations or waves are shown to have sloping leg portions 2, whereas in the girdle of Figs. 7 and 8 the leg por-' tions 3 of the control cordare disposed vertically to the normal wearing position of the garment. I

Referring to Figs. 5, 6, and 9, which show the control cord greatly enlarged, it consists of .a center disposed in a hard, flexible plastic sheath 5. The center or core of the control cord isof hard steel made from a plurality of metallic strands. These strands 4 in theembo'din'ient shown are in twisted groups'and" the groups mutually twisted into a single body. In the present embodiment each group consists of seven strands 5x, and there are seven groups, although the number of groups and the number of strands in each group may be varied. The sheath is preferably nylon (amide-polymer) of that hard type used for bristles, applied to the core when hot and shrunk upon the core by cooling, and the sheath has a smooth face.

The girdle of this invention (Figs. 1 and 2) may be provided with a panel piece 7 of non-stretchable material shown in dotted outline. Preferably this panel piece is secured interiorly to the back portion of the panty girdle. However, as shown in Fig. 7, the panel piece 8 may be sewn interiorly to the front of the girdle.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the control cord 4 is covered on the elastic fabric material constituting the body of the garment by means of a conventional fabric strip or tape 8; and the tape preferably is disposed on the inside of the girdle. The control cord 4 is disposed sinusoidally between the stretchable knit material constituting the fabric of the girdle and the overlying tape 8 which provides reinforcement. The control cord and tape are sewn to the girdle fabric by means of zigzag stitches 9 completely securing the control cord to the stretchable fabric of the girdle and passing through the tape.

The presence of the cord sewn in the girdles of this invention causes an unworn girdle (Fig. 7) to lie substantially flat at all times, with the front panel 11 contacting the back panel 12. In Fig. 7 the element 8 is a reinforcing panel stiched interiorly of the girdle.

The cylindrical abdominal girdle of Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of this invention.

The flexing action consisted of repeatedly bending corresponding sections of the supports until either a permanent deformation of the control cord occurred, or until a predetermined number of cycles was recorded. The flexing action was equivalent to bending the control cord over a mandrel approximately one (1) inch in diameter. This test was also repeated on the girdle following ten repeated washings.

This flexing test disclosed that the girdle satisfactorily resisted 10,000 flexing cycles before and following ten washings, without evidencing any deformation of the control cord or loss of its live action. V

The girdle area provided with the control cord was subjected to a salt spray test for the purpose of determining whether or not any corrosion would occur. This test consisted of exposing the section, and also complete girdles, for 48 hours in a standard salt spray chamber maintained at F. with 20% salt spray concentration. The salt spray test resulted in no corrosion of the control cord at any point.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A form-fitting girdle garment adapted for substantiallyflat folding, and comprising a flexible, stretchable body, said body having a front portion, a rear portion, and areas of connection between said portions, a flexing sinuous cord having a plurality of groups of inelastic metallic strands, the strands of each group being tight twisted together and the groups as a whole being twisted together into a unitary body, said body carrying a relatively thin hard flexible exteriorly smooth annular sheath of amide polymer intimately engaging to the said groups and wires thereof, and sheath means securing said cord to the garment, the cord with its sheath means being secured to the garment under tension by the resistance of said strands in a formation, having spaced legs joined by alternate top and bottom arcuate sections, those legs which are joined by bottom arcuate sections at the center of the girdle body and at the areas of connection between the front and back portions being relatively long, said cord extending substantially throughout the upper area of said girdle body, said cord being adapted for substantially-fiat folding of the girdle overlay threads, the cord legs being substantially straight with the said top arcuate sections thereof close to the top edge of said body and operative to prevent said waist portion from rolling down.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 215,655 Nettleton I; May 20, 1879 248,754 Jenkins Oct..25, 18 81 527,795 Kelso Oct. 23,1894 2,048,238 Weeks July 21, 1936 2,585,262 Metz Feb. 12, 1952 2,696,002 Herbener Dec. 7, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 476,618 Canada Sept. 4, 1951 

